Water meter cover



Get. 8, 1935. E. M. KRUEGER WATER METER COVER Filed bec. 14, 1952 Smaentox:

(Ittomeg s Patented Oct. 8, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENTv OFFICE WATER METER COVER Application December 14, 1932, Serial No. 647,115

12 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in water meter covers.

It is the primary object of the invention to provide a dual cover organization for a conventional water meter casing whereby the usual glazed cover is protected by a solid metal cover so designed that when the solid metal cover is closed over the glazed cover both covers will be releasably locked in place to maintain a watertight gasket under adequate compression.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the cover unit plate to a water meter casing.

Figure 2 is a View taken in transverse section in a vertical plane.

Figure 3 is a plane view of the apparatus showing the protecting cover in a raised position and partially broken away.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

To the meter casing 1I is applied a dial housing 5 having hinge ears 6 and 'I at its front and rear. The usual glazed cover 8 has knuckles 9 spaced to receive hinge ear 'I and connected thereto by means of a pintle I0. It is provided with a cover glass I2 in the usual manner to permit inspection of the dials encased within the housing 5. A gasket III carried by the under surface of the glazed cover 8 is engageable with the top margin of housing 5 to provide a liquid tight seal between the housing and the glazed cover.

The ears 6 carry a pintle I5 upon which the knuckles I6 of the auxiliary cover I'I are pivoted. The auxiliary cover ts closely over the glazed Cover as is clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The glazed cover differs from conventional practice in that it is provided at I8 with an arm which overlies the pintle I5. The space between the ears It of the auxiliary cover I I is closed above pintle I5 by a web I9 upon the under surface of which is preferably formed a cam 20. The form of the cam is such that as the auxiliary cover I'I approaches the lower position, in which it is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the cam 2l] will en- 45, gage the free end of arm I8 tocompress the glazed cover downwardly to a rm seat on housing 5. The pressure of the cam upon arm I8 gradually increases until the nose of the cam passes the end of the arm, after which the pressure is 50 very slightly relieved. The parts are suiciently resilient so that this slight relief of pressure does not involve any separation of the cam and the arm, the compression of gasket I4 on the housing being maintained in the closed position of the 55 auxiliary cover. The relief of pressure is just (Cl. 25m- 82) suicient so that there is a tendency for the interaction of the cam and arm I8 to maintain the auxiliary cover tightly upon its seat on the glazed cover. Thus the interaction of the cam and arm serves, in the Fig. 2 position of the parts, to hold 5 both covers in their proper relation to each other and to the housing.

The mere act of opening the auxiliary cover I'I not only exposes the meter dials to View through glass I2, but also makes it possible for the 10 operator to raise the glazed cover and thus to gain access to the dials by breaking the customary seal at 2l. In other words, no securing device is required for the glazed cover other than the auxiliary protective cover as above described. .l5

I claim:

l. In a cover organization, the combination with a housing member, of a pair of covers hingedly connected therewith and adapted to overlie said housing in superposed relation, one of said covers 20 being substantially-rigid and having a resilient projecting arm, and means acting solely between said arm and the other cover member comprising a detent for holding both of said cover members in said relation, said arm being yieldably 25 distorted by the engagement of the detent therewith, whereby to provide a yielding pressure tending to hold said covers in superposed relation.

2. In a cover organization, the combination with a housing member, of cover elements sepa- 30 rately hinged thereto and movable to superposed positions upon said housing member, and detent cam parts comprising parts of said cover elements interacting in the hinged movement of one of said elements with respect to the other to 35 subject said elements toI pressure tending to maintain them in superposed position upon the housing, one of said parts being resilient and arranged to be distorted in the process of moving said elements to superposed positions whereby yieldably 40 to provide such pressure.

3. In a cover organization, the combination witha housing member, of cover elements having projecting portions hinged to said housing member at opposite sides thereof, said elements being movable to superposed positions upon said member, one of said elements having an arm underlying the hinged portion of the other, and :said hinged portion having a cam engageable with said arm to compress the rst element upon the housing as the second element is moved to said superposed relation.

4. In a cover organization, the combination with a housing, of a glazed cover hinged to the housing and provided with a resilient arm remote from its hinge, a protective cover hinged to the housing adjacent said arm and provided with a carn portion adapted to overlie said arm as the protective cover approaches its closed position overlying the glazed cover, said cam portion being constituted to engage and depress said arm and to compress the glazed cover upon the housing, distortion of said arm under such pressure serv-ing to maintain the pressure between said glazed cover and said housing.

5. In a cover organization, the combination with a housing, of a glazed cover hinged thereto having a substantially rigid frame and provided opposite its hinge with a resilient arm, a hinged pintle adapted in the closed position of said glazed cover to underlie said arm, a protective cover hinged on said pintle and provided with earn means interacting with said arm in a direction to depress and distort said arm and to press said glazed cover yieldingly to said housing in the course oi the closing movement of said protective cover.

6. In a cover organization, the combination with a housing, of a glazed cover hinged thereto and providerA opposite its hinge with a resilient arm, a hinge pintle adapted in the closed position oi said glazed cover to underlie said arm, a protective cover hinged on said pintle and provided with cam means interacting with and distorting said arm in a direction to yieldingly prees said glazed cover to said housing in the course of the closing movement of said protective cover, said cam means being adapted to pass the free end of the arm as the protective cover is closed, whereby to maintain the protective cover, as well as the glazed cover, under a pressure tending to maintain said covers in closed position, the resiliency of said arm operating to maintain the pressure between said cam means and said arm after said cani means has passed the tree end of said arm as aforesaid.

7. A hinge and latch combination including a pair oi spaced knuckles, a pintle extending between said knuckles, a resiliently yieldable detent arm in one position extending between said knuckles and overlying said pintle, and a cam between said knuckles and connected therewith for movement about said pintle and positioned to engage said arin in the course of movement of said knuckles about the axis of said pintle and across a predetermined center line, the resilient distortion of said arm by said cam being adapted to provide a reaction pressure tending to maintain said knuckles and cam in a position of engagement with said arm and across said center line.

S. In a cover organization, the combination with a housing, of a glazed cover hinged to said housing and having an arm extending therefrom opposite said hinge, a protective cover having a pair oi knuckles extending therefrom in spaced relation, a pair of spaced ears extending from said housing between said spaced knuckles and positioned to receive said arm between them in the closed position of said glazed cover, a pintle extending through said ears and knuckles and underlying said arm in said closed position, and a cam between said knuckles and positioned to engage said arm and force said glazed cover into sealing contact with said housing upon closing of said protective cover.

9. In a cover organization the combination with a housing, of a glazed cover hinged to said housing and having an arm extending therefrom opposite said hinge, a protecting cover having a pair of spaced knuckles extending therefrom, and positioned to receive said arm between them in the closed position of said glazed cover, said arm being positively centered between said knuckles in such closed position o said glazed cover, and a cam between said knuckles positioned to engage said arm during closing movement of said protecting cover and to force said glazed cover into accurate sealing relation with said housing.

l0. In a cover organization the combination with a housing, or" a glazed cover hinged to said housing and arranged to be seated in sealing relation on said housing, a protective cover arranged to close over said glazed cover, a pintle carried by said housing and on which said protective cover is hinged to said housing, said protective cover vhaving a peripheral flange extending downwardly about said glazed cover, a cam carried by said protective cover and disposed aoove said pintle, and an arm extending from glazed cover beneath said flange, curving upwardly over said pintle, and arranged to be depressed toward said pintle by said cam upon closing of said protective cover over said glazed cover.

il. In a meter closure the combination with a casing having an upwardly extending rim, of a substantially rigid frame hinged to said casing and arranged to rest on said rim, said frame having a channel for the reception of a gasket and bounded by an vouter downwardly extending flange encircling said rim and a portion of said casing, a transparent element carried by said frame and a gasket in said channel, a resilient arm extending from said flange, a protective cover hinged to said casing opposite the point at which said frame is hinged thereto, and means on said cover engaging said resilient arm and forcing said frame and gasket into Contact with said rim when said cover is closed over said frame.

12. In a meter closure the combination with a casing having an upwardly extending rim, of a substantially rigid frame hinged to said casing and arranged to rest on said rim, said frame having a channel for the reception of a-gasket and bounded by an outer downwardly extending flange encircling said rim and a portion of said casing, a transparent element carried by said frame and a gasket in said channel, a resilient arm extending from said ange, a protective cover hinged to said casing opposite the point at which said frame is hinged thereto, a, downwardly extending rim on said protective cover encircling said frame and extending between said frame and said resilient arm when said cover is closed, and means on said cover engaging said resilient arm and forcing said frame and gasket into sealing contact with said upwardly extending rim when said cover is closed over said frame.

EMIL M. KRUEGER. 

